1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of measuring and cutting apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus for measuring and cutting a tread.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Stairs are frequently covered with a material, to protect the wood, for aesthetic reasons, or to provide a non-slip or wear-resistant covering. In commercial buildings stair treads are frequently used to cover the steps, because they are replaceable as needed and increase the durability of the step. Professional installation of treads, however, entails carefully measuring each individual tread in order to obtain precise dimensions and then transferring the dimensions to the material be cut, in order to fit each step with a custom-cut tread. The reason that each step must be measured individually is that the tread should cover the top portion of the step and fit flush against the staircase sidewalls, but the sidewalls are frequently not precisely square relative to the side edge of the step. The process of installing treads in this manner is time-consuming and often results in less than ideal results, because the installer has not been able to accommodate the out-of-square construction.
Numerous devices are available to aid the installer in obtaining the dimensions of the step to be covered. A disadvantage of these aids is that they do not accommodate staircase sidewalls that are not aligned squarely relative to the surface of the tread. The sidewalls may be at a slight angle, or worse, the sidewalls may have slight curve to them. Most of the conventional aids assume that the sidewalls are square. Some aids provide some accommodation of a sidewall that has a perfectly flat surface, but is at a slight angle relative to the edge of the step. None of them measures the precise perimeter of the step.
An installer, either using any of the conventional aids available today or measuring by hand, will fail to accurately measure the entire perimeter of the step. The cut tread frequently doesn't fit the step precisely. If the problem is that the tread material buckles, some excess material may be removed. But if the tread leaves a gap along a portion of the edge to the sidewall, that problem cannot be easily fixed. The gap is unsightly, and often not acceptable to the owner of the residence. As a result, the installer ends up cutting filler pieces or a new tread.
Measuring the dimensions of the tread is difficult enough, but transferring the dimensions to the tread material and then cutting the tread opens up further possibilities for introducing errors.
What is needed, therefore, is measuring and cutting apparatus to aid in measuring, transferring measurements, and cutting a tread. What is yet further needed is such an apparatus that accurately measures the dimensions of the step, including out-of-square configurations. What is still yet further needed is such an apparatus that transfers the dimensions to the tread material and provides a guide for cutting the material.